In case you missed our magical afternoon last week, we figured we would give you all the fun details, so you can feel like you were there. Of course, we held the tea party at Mama Sassafrass’s favorite Atlanta neighborhood French Bistro: Café Lapin. (A big thank you to the owner of this amazing place: Mattie Hines)

Steiff North American Authority Rebekah Kaufman gives tea party guests the history of Steiff teddy bears . In this pictures she is holding a Steiff made in 1906 and she calls it her “travel buddy”. Kaufman is also a regular Steiff consultant for etworks including HGTV, CBS (Inside Edition), History.com (Pawn Stars), and E! Entertainment (Clean House), among others. Thom Baker Photography

The star of the afternoon was special guest Rebekah Kaufman, who came all the way from Boston, with three of her teddy bear buddies from Steiff. After tummies were full, Rebekah gave a little talk about the history of Steiff and the teddy bears, and we got to meet some of the coolest and oldest Steiff bears ever.

Her travel buddy was made in 1906, and boy was he in good condition. He was adorable, dressed in LEE overalls that were actually made as a salesman sample in the late 1920s. She gave the people and us Steiff animals the secret formula for identifying the age and value of the Steiff. All the guests were fascinated by the “secret formula” but we will be respectful and keep it a “secret” because that makes it more fun.

The second bear she brought was called a Doll Bear. It was so cute. It had these big lips and open mouth. Steiff made these to look more like a doll and we all oohed and aahed over this little guy.

Some of the guests asked questions about other Steiff animals and there values. Here are some crazy things we learned.

Name an animal of any kind, and Steiff has made it at some point.

They even made five fleas in five different colors at some point in the 90s.

And the worst: there is a cockroach Steiff. Yuck.

But back to the good stuff. Thom Baker, photographer extraordinaire, snapped away at the guests and captured the bears and the ambience in a very magical way. Children that came got to leave with a little basket filled fun items like bubbles shaped like a teddy bear. And of course, people could not get enough of the custom-dressed Steiff animals made by Sassafrass Jones .

The little baskets were filled with bear-y cool goodies for the little ones to take home.Steiff teddy bears dressed in custom Sassafrass Jones outfits were the hit of the party.People and their kids nibbled on fun teddy bear bites and teddy bear-shaped sandwiches at Café Lapin. And, of course, there was endless cups of tea.

Mama Sassafrass (Cathleen Smith Bresciani) wanted me to make sure to thank all the people who attended the magical afternoon of tea and teddies. An extra special thank you to Thom Baker, the photographer, Mattie Hines, a friend and owner of Café Lapin, and Rebekah Kaufman, who travelled from Boston for this delightful afternoon.

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The coloring book craze has swept the nation…finally and there are so many fabulous coloring books to choose from. Mama Sassafrass was saw they are even selling these books next to our favorite mags (US Weekly of course is our top pick) in the grocery stores. Wow..everyone is coloring. People of all ages!

Of course the creative critters and minds on Team Sassafrass took the craze up a few sassy notches to make our very own special coloring books.

Sassafrass creative artist Jason Bunin worked hand-in-hand with the woman behind the entire brand who happens to be my fabulous mom, CathleenSmith, the most creative and talented person I know) to create our first coloring book last year: Haute Dog LA. This was for a Canine Companions for Independence charity event in Los Angeles and boy it is so cool! Think doggies in Beverly Hills dazzled in jewels.

Next was a special limited edition one just for the Vedura holiday soiree. The coloring book, called Rhinos and Tigers and Jewels, Oh My took all of the animals from the Sassafrass ABC book and decked them out with Verdura jewelry.

But here is the best! It’s brand new and it is going to knock the teddy bear socks off of you!

Introducing Teddy Bears Grand Tour: a coloring book journey of the United States for all ages.

Just wait till you see the amazing Bears taking over the country.
Here are just a couple of sneak peeks. If you are coming to the Tea Party on May 14th the books will be available to buy. Otherwise we will let you know as soon as they are on sale on the website and on Amazon. If you must have one now just send us a note and we will get it to you as soon as possible. You don’t want to miss this one.

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Happy May! As all of us at the Habersham Forest are counting down the days to our Teddy Bear Tea Party in Atlanta, we have all types of cuddly bears on our mind.
Today, we love our Mini Steiff Teddy Bears! They are just as cute as can be and are the best little travel buddies.

Of course, these little teddy bears are tres chic, all dressed up and designed by our couturier in the Habersham
Forest Style Studio.

Stay tuned for more details about the tea party and a lot more fun teddy bear facts, pictures and more to come. Don’t forget to visit our site at http://www.sassafrassjones.com

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If you don’t know this already, we sell designer duds for your dogs on our website (in addition to the books and Steiff friends and of course my very own Sassafrass Jones stuffed dog). Mama Sassafrass has always made sure her pets, both real and of the Steiff variety, are dressed to the nines with everything fitting and feeling just perfect.

But we are most excited to introduce a brand new item: The Sassy Harness.

Made for the hautest canines, this step-in harness will make any dog realize just how special they are. The red polka dot leash, made of cotton, is embellished with a leather version of our signature Chartreuse cat-eye glasses for a touch of glamour.

Be the cutest canine and order your leash today…(click on the link below to order now).

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Guess what….our Sassafrass Jones ABCS book…you know the one thatb p features a Steiff animal and a cute poem for each letter of the alphabet is buzzing this week. The children’s book written by Mama Sassafrass ( Cathleen Smith Bresciani) and Steiff master Rebekah Kaufman was in the Buzzometer!!

Last weekend, Mama Sassafrass took me along with her to the annual miniature doll house show. It was so much fun! You would not believe how many fabulous miniatures there are out there. Of course, Mama was on a mission, picking this and that for her next book, but I still had a few hours to peek around the show. Here all the best tiny miniaturist and artisans sell their pieces to a group of doll house enthusiasts among other types. I just like how everything is so bite-sized. I mean, some of the things I saw were even too small for me. But I had a blast and got to see the talent of so many fabulous designers and sellers who must have the best eyes and tiniest little fingers to make the things they do.

***SassyFact: The two books by Cathleen Smith Bresciani (AKA Mama Sassafrass) are filled with colorful and real life vignettes made with Steiff animals and miniature pieces. With the talent of mini architect Chris and the other talented minds in the Habersham Forest, Mama Sassafrass creates magical displays for everything. The ABC book, Sassafrass Jones’ ABCs pictures each Steiff with a little poem. The pictures are photographs of the real animal in its own little miniature set. You may already know that, but if you didn’t, it’s something that is too good not to check out.

But back to the show…

Mind if I join you two?These books are all handmade by this cute girl who we buy from on Etsy. She even has kits that show you how to make your own miniature books.

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Look at these fabulous sterling silver minis. I will eat my kibble out of one of these stunning pieces for sure. Perfect for a Sassy Picnic!Miniatures Galore!!!!Think I would look good in this necklace?

Perfect vanity table filled with gorgeous jewels and trinkets. Don’t mind if I do…Let’s play some pool.

Wow! These miniaturists really love to “pickle”The perfect totes and hat boxes for all of our goodies

So it was a fun-filled day as you can see, and we went home with bags and bags of new things. I think Mama Sassafrass even bought me a few gifts, because she would not show me everything. I can’t wait until next year’s show. Until then, of course, we can always go to our favorite playland of miniatures, Miniature Designs. This store always has the best of the best and we can spend hours in there drooling over their latest finds.

The Humane Society of New York is one of our favorite organizations around. They save countless dogs and cats, nursing them back to health and finding them forever homes with loving families. In fact, Sassafrass Jones, myself was inspired by a Pekingese with one-eye who My Mama adopted from the Humane Society years ago and named him Sammy Davis Jr. She fell madly in love, as did the perky Pekingese and Sammy Davis lived a full and happy live in the Smith Bresciani family.

Years later, the Humane Society of New York is still doing fantastic things and stories of abandoned dogs and cats finding forever homes continue appear on their website. And still they hold events and fundraisers all around the city, to make sure they stay current and no puppy dog or cat gets left behind. Personally, I have a special place in my heart for the Humane Society of New York. My mom, myself and all our family in the Habersham Forest do whatever we can to help with awareness and donations. In fact, we donated proceeds from many of our sales to this organization (along with Canine Companions for Independence).

Last night, as I often do, I was pawing around the internet and decided to check out the latest on the HSNY Homepage and see what dogs and cats were up for adoption.

And there he was…Buster, the one-eyed adult male Chihuahua. I barked and howled trying to get mama Sassafrass’ attention. “It’s another one-eyed dog, just like Sammy Davis Jr., and what if he doesnt get adopted,” I whined to mom. “With tears in her eyes, she sat down next to me and we found out a little more about little Buster.

How much he reminds the Habersham Forest Family of the late Sammy Davis Jr. Sadly, Buster was brought the Humane Society of New York in bad condition. He was underweight, and one of his eyes was in terrible shape when he was found and brought to the HSNY. He is neutered and in good health (who needs two eyes anyways?) and his birthday is December 16, 2013, so he is still young.

But, sadly, he is not the pick of the litter and needs an experienced adopter because he is not good with kids, not good with dogs and not good with cats. But we pet he has a whole lot of love to give to his human.

Buster was underweight and one of his eyes was in really bad shape when he was found by someone and brought to us. Now that he is all cleaned up and healthy again, he is ready to find a home. His birthday is December 16, 2013.

We really appreciate your wanting to give a shelter animal a home. The Humane Society of New York was founded in 1904. The Vladimir Horowitz/Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Adoption Center is a no-kill shelter. Our on-site clinic and staff of skilled Veterinarians looks after the health and well-being of every animal here. We offer FREE Vet care for the first 3 weeks after adoption. We also have a great adoption matchmaker who will gladly take your profile and match you or your pet with just the right cat or dog companion. Please feel free to submit your application!

If you’d like to sponsor this pet, please email sandra.hsny@verizon.net. You can give as much or as little as you like. Your donation is tax deductible. Thank you!